Byron Allen has stated that he is "not trying to replace" Stephen Colbert as his comedy show, Comics Unleashed, takes over the coveted 11:35pm slot on CBS previously held by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Allen, the comedian and media executive who founded Allen Media Group, told NPR that his programme would steer clear of the political satire that became a hallmark of Colbert's tenure, especially during the presidencies of Donald Trump.
"At the end of the day, I'm not trying to replace Colbert," the 65-year-old said ahead of his show's debut on Friday. "I am not trying to hold on to his audience because Comics Unleashed has been around 20 years and has its own audience. And we're speaking to people who have been ignored. And good luck finding another show that's had on more comedians of every shape and size and colour."
Comics Unleashed, which first launched in 2006, features Allen alongside a rotating panel of stand-up comedians who discuss topical stories and perform short comedy routines. The programme previously occupied CBS's post-midnight slot after James Corden left The Late Late Show. It returned to the network in 2025 under a time-buy agreement, where Allen Media Group purchased airtime from CBS and managed its own advertising sales. In April 2026, CBS announced that the show would move into the 11:35pm slot following the conclusion of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The network had cancelled the long-running Late Show franchise in July 2025, days after Colbert criticised Paramount for paying President Donald Trump $16 million to settle a dispute over a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Allen's Approach to Comedy
Allen emphasised that his show would not mimic Colbert's political focus. "Not everybody's going to love me. Not everybody is going to love the fact that I am not being racist or anti-Semitic or sexist or I'm not being political. But there's that 1 per cent or 2 per cent that will be like, 'Hell, yeah, I'm rolling with you.' And I learned that at an early age," he explained.
He insisted that neither CBS nor its parent company, Paramount, had sought to impose editorial restrictions on Comics Unleashed. When asked whether executives had discussed "boundaries not to cross or topics to avoid," Allen replied: "Absolutely not." He added: "I have absolutely not had any conversations with anybody at CBS or Paramount about what to say or not to say. Do you know that I have been taping this show here since July or August and somebody from CBS just came by to say hello and thank us. Visited the set one time, came by to say 'We just want to see a taping because we haven't been here.'"
Allen also noted that the network had offered minimal editorial feedback. "When we've sent the episodes over, they have barely given notes," he said. "CBS has not given me any notes, any feedback about don't be political. I started the show 20 years ago, and we've been crushing it for 20 years."
Praise for Colbert
Despite the transition, Allen had warm words for his predecessor, calling Colbert "an American treasure" and stating that he was "always invited" on Comics Unleashed. Describing a recent meal they shared, Allen said: "We talked. We laughed. We cried. We shared our ups, our downs, our pain, our love of talk shows, our love of comedy, our love of comedians, and our love of Johnny Carson. We shared that."
The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert drew 6.74 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode during the show's 11-year run. Overall, the series averaged 2.7 million viewers in its final season. Colbert's last guest was Paul McCartney, who ceremonially turned out the lights at the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Beatles famously performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
